Graphical user interface for customizing graphical representations based on registry data

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a method for providing a customizable user interface capable of auto rendering data models of a data network, for monitoring and management purposes a data network so as to allow for management of boilerplate operations such as logon/logout, fetching and storing data, executing actions and transactions management. The method comprising the steps of: storing: a data model having a plurality of elements and sub-elements representative of the data network, a widget library, default registry data, customization registry data. The method further comprises the steps generating, a request for a portion of the data model representative for a part of the network of interest for display in the customizable user interface, selecting a graphical representations for each element and sub element based on the customization registry data and the default registry data and rendering the part of the data network using the selected graphical representations.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for providing a graphical user interface, the method comprising:
 storing information comprising:
 a data model representative of a data network, said data model having a plurality of elements corresponding to devices in the data network, each of the plurality of elements including one or more sub elements, each of the one or more sub elements associated to a data type of a set of data types, 
 a configuration database comprising configuration information, the configuration database including a first database and a second database, the first database configured to be synchronized with the data network by a controller using text-based configuration status reports in a form of CLI command sequences, 
 a default widget library comprising a plurality of widgets, and 
 default registry data having entries, the entries identifying a default graphical representation for each data type of the set of data types, the default graphical representation defined by at least one predetermined widget from the default widget library, 
   receiving an input that identifies a portion of the data network for display in the graphical user interface;   generating graphical representations of current configurations of a subset of the devices in the portion of the data network; and   rendering, in the graphical user interface, the portion of the data network using the graphical representations.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein,
 the information stored includes customization registry data having at least one entry, the at least one entry defining, based on customization input received in the graphical user interface, at least one key associated with a customization registration and at least one statement, said at least one key identifying at least one element and/or sub element of the data model for which an alternative graphical representation is to be provided, the alternative graphical representation is defined by the customization registration, 
 the at least one statement identifies one or more instances of the at least one element and/or sub element of the data model for which the alternative graphical representation is to be provided, defining a search path, and 
 the search path is to a unique instance of the at least one element and/or sub element of the data model so as to provide customization of the unique instance of the at least one element and/or sub element of the data model, or to all instances of a unique element or sub-element of the data model so as to provide the alternative graphical representation for all the instances of the unique element or sub element. 
   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein,
 the information stored includes customization registry data having at least one entry, the at least one entry defining, based on customization input received in the graphical user interface, at least one key associated with a customization registration and at least one statement, said at least one key identifying at least one element and/or sub element of the data model for which an alternative graphical representation is to be provided, the alternative graphical representation is defined by the customization registration, and 
 the customization registration is related to a predetermined translation altering the graphical representation of the at least one element and/or sub element of the data model with regard to textual representation of at least one label or at least one argument of the at least one element and/or sub element of the data model. 
   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein,
 the information stored includes customization registry data having at least one entry, the at least one entry defining, based on customization input received in the graphical user interface, at least one key associated with a customization registration and at least one statement, said at least one key identifying at least one element and/or sub element of the data model for which an alternative graphical representation is to be provided, the alternative graphical representation is defined by the customization registration, and 
 the customization registration is related to at least one customization selected from a group of customizations comprising a predetermined translation, a widget life cycle handler and a widget contextual setting, said group of customizations altering the graphical representation of the at least one element and/or sub element of the data model with regard to at least one property of a number of properties comprising life cycle behaviour, textual representation and graphical appearance. 
   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein,
 the information stored includes customization registry data having at least one entry, the at least one entry defining, based on customization input received in the graphical user interface, at least one key associated with a customization registration and at least one statement, said at least one key identifying at least one element and/or sub element of the data model for which an alternative graphical representation is to be provided, the alternative graphical representation is defined by the customization registration, and 
 the at least one entry defining the at least one key being associated with the customization registration comprises the at least one key being associated with both the customization registration and a tag statement, said tag statement defining in which view of a number of preconfigurable views that the alternative graphical representation is to be provided. 
   
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 assembling the graphical representations logically before rendering the portion of the data network using the graphical representations.   
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 storing a custom widget library comprising at least one custom widget.   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein,
 the information stored includes customization registry data having at least one entry, the at least one entry defining, based on customization input received in the graphical user interface, at least one key associated with a customization registration and at least one statement, said at least one key identifying at least one element and/or sub element of the data model for which an alternative graphical representation is to be provided, the alternative graphical representation is defined by the customization registration, and 
 the alternative graphical representation being defined by the customization registration comprises the customization registration defining the alternative graphical representation in the form of the at least one custom widget from the custom widget library. 
   
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 generating a request for data from the data model based on the input,   wherein,
 the generating the request for the data from the data model based on the input further includes generating a request for at least a portion of the configuration information from the configuration database based on the input, and 
 the at least the portion of the configuration information identifies the current configurations of the subset of the devices in the portion of the data network. 
   
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the receiving the data from the data model further comprises receiving the at least the portion of the configuration information from the configuration database the at least the portion of the configuration information received from the configuration database being associated with the data received from the data model. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein the rendering, in the graphical user interface, the portion of the data network using the graphical representations further comprises rendering the current configurations of the subset of the devices in the portion of the data network using the graphical representations in combination with the at least the portion of the configuration information received from the configuration database. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the data model comprises a data model representative of network elements and services. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the data model is formatted using extensible mark-up language format. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the data model is a YANG based data model, comprising one or more YANG schemas representative of the data network. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the each of the one or more YANG schemas of the YANG based model, having declared at least one YANG statement and/or YANG sub-statement selected from a group of YANG statements comprising: a module, a container, a leaf, a list, a leaf list, an action, a grouping. 
     
     
         16 . A method to provide a graphical user interface, the method comprising:
 storing, at a server, information comprising:
 a data model representative of a data network, said data model having a plurality of elements corresponding to devices in the data network, each of the plurality of elements including one or more sub elements, each of the one or more sub elements associated to a data type of a set of data types, and 
 a configuration database including configuration information, the configuration database including a first database and a second database, the first database configured to be synchronized with the data network by a controller using text-based configuration status reports in a form of CLI command sequences; 
   storing, at a client, other information comprising:
 a default widget library comprising a plurality of widgets, and 
 default registry data having entries, the entries identifying a default graphical representation for each data type of the set of data types, the default graphical representation defined by at least one predetermined widget from the default widget library; 
   generating for display a user input dialog in a web browser, said user input dialog being operable to receive an input identify a portion of the data network for display in the graphical user interface;   receiving, at the client, the input identifying the portion of the data network;   receiving, at the client, the data from the data model sent from the server, the data from the data model being representative for the portion of the data network;   generating graphical representations of current configurations of a subset of the devices in the portion of the data network; and   rendering, in the graphical user interface in the web browser of the client, the portion of the data network using the graphical representations.   
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising:
 formatting the graphical representations for the web browser.   
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , further comprising:
 storing, at the client, HTML templates and wherein the formatting the graphical representations comprises formatting the graphical representations using HTML templates.   
     
     
         19 . A graphical user interface system comprising:
 a storage medium configured to store information comprising:
 a default widget library comprising a plurality of widgets, and 
 default registry data having entries, the entries identifying a default graphical representation for each data type of a set of data types, the default graphical representation defined by at least one predetermined widget from the default widget library; 
   a link communicatively coupling a graphical user interface to the storage medium, said storage medium configured to store a data model representative of a data network, said data model having a plurality of elements corresponding to devices in the data network, each of the plurality of elements including one or more sub elements, each of the one or more sub elements associated to one of the set of data types; and   a client configured to:
 generate a user input dialog operable to receive an input identifying a portion of the data network for display in the graphical user interface, 
 receive the input identifying the portion of the data network, 
 generate graphical representations of current configurations of a subset of the devices in the portion of the data network, and 
 render the portion of the data network using the graphical representations. 
   
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 19 , wherein the graphical representations are generated by determining, using registry data, whether each element of the data from the data model is identified by at least one key in at least one entry.